Automatically operable projectile



Oct. 22, 1940. W. L ROESSNER 2,218,857

AUTOMATICLLY OPERABLE PROJECTILE Filed May 29, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct- 22, 1940- v w. L. Rol-:ssNER AUTUMATICALLY OPERABLE PROJECTILE Filed May 29, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 22, 1940 UNITED STATES .Mw L.

. Bertha L. MacGregorfasftrusteef- Appiication May 29, 1.9.1192i servieifnquizjtgtsrf" (Cl. 169-26)v L 9 Claims.

This invention relates to automatically operable projectiles. The embodiment' of the invention herein shown is adapted for installation in fire extinguishers for automatically shattering or otherwise opening the containers which hold the nre extinguishing chemical. However, the invention is well adapted for various purposes, such as automatically opening containers of various kinds, moving objects such as locking bolts, doors and other devices, making electrical contacts whereby mechanisms are actuated, and for other purposes which will be obvious from the following' description.

The main object of the invention is to produce an automatically operable projectile which normally will remain inoperative and which will function forcefully and quickly when certain predetermined conditions exist.

Another object is to produce a device of the characterv described, provided'with thermo-responsive restraining means f or normally holding the parts in inoperative positions, which means are preferably, though not necessarily, enclosed,

whereby they are protected from injury and unintentional releasing action. l

Another object of the invention is to provide a specially shaped and constructed projectile, capable of shattering frangible material widely dispersing the contents, and capable of cutting and' entering containers made of non-'frangiblematerials to permit escape of the contents.

Another object is to confine the projectile so thatits movement will be conned to a predetermined path.

In the drawings; Fig. 1 is a Vertical sectional view of an'automatically operable projectile .embodying my` invention, installed in thehandle of a fire extinguisher grenade, the upper portion of the grenade being broken away. i Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are horizontal sectional views, on an enlarged scale, taken .in the planes of the line 2 2, 3 3, 4 4, 5 5 and 6 6, relfire extinguishergrenade Il is'iisedltohouse'the wif)rietiGallyoperable, preietle, @imi7k .ini/ene tion. The projectile comprises a hollow shell I2,

, preferably cylindrical butpot necessarily so, and

ahead .I3 hai/inea @realtors 1,4, themed. being retainedby a 'pin which' egtendslthrough the Shellyalls .and head immane c ,Side t0 the. .0ppQSiie Side Preferably. the Shell l2 extends. 1.111-, W'adly'bfyohd the heeel l tend minted @dass 'Adjacent the lower endolf thesllj'iell A I 2 isa saddle ywhicli consistsvof atable `I1` `and vI leperrding legs. l 8. I8... Thesaildle ,mail be Shaped to; i. With.-v in` a cilindrica member Sud! as. the handle ,10. or its. table, i1 mai/basquet?. 0r rectangular .in Shape i0 fit" Within elc'mvlegleniallviomei Support- .T11 this embedmeni instable .I1 circular. 4cui ,away at I 9 and Eil, aperturedatgl, 2|and the depende ing. lets l are ariiaie5-i0tihe iilidef .the hardlll i0. hichfihey uitimaa1r`are-agidu secured "screwsA 22,

The shell I`2fis hotconnected to the saddle II but it is held normally in edge abutting position relatively thereto by the means about to be described? Afthermo-responsive retaining member indicated asa whole at 23 extends through a slot 24 in the saddle table I'I and is looped over a pin 25`which extends through the shell I2 and head I3 parallel with and below the pin. I5. The pin 25 kpreferably is threaded to fit internally screw threaded bores in said shell and head. The thermoresponsive member 23 consists of a strip of metal 26 suchas copper or the like, formed to provide the loop 21, spread apart arms 28, 28, and intermediate parallel portions, as shown in Fig. l. The arms 28 are spaced apart by fusible material 29 in which are embedded short tubes Bil of less fusible material. One or more of such tubes 30 may be used.

\ To assemble the. projectile I2 I3 and saddle Il l, Irst place a strong coiled spring 3I in the shell I2, the upper end of the spring 3I bearing against the head I3 and the lower end against the table I1 of the` saddle. The spring is compressed so `that the lower edge of the shell I?. rests on the saddle I'I, and while thus held, the thermoresponsive device 23 is inserted into place in the The fusible material 29 may be any suitable alloy, chemical salts, wax compounds and the like, which are thermo-responsive. The enclosure of the device 23 within the support Ill prevents unintended or premature releasing of the projec tile I2. When a predetarmined temperature has been reached in the vicinity of the support Ill, the fusible material 29 will be aifected, aided by the air draft through the tubes Sil, apertures 2 I, head bore I4, and handle I8 as a whole, and the eX- pansive power of the spring 3l will cause the arms 28 of the device 23 to be drawn through the slot 24 in the saddle I'i, thus releasing the projectile shell I2 and head I3 and permitting them to be thrust forcefully toward the grenade II, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l. The spring 3l is powerful, so that the projectile, when released, strikes a forceful blow on van object intended to be broken or moved, and after the blow has occurred, the projectile continues to exert pressure against the object.

In Figs. '7, 8 and 9, the projectile parts I2 to I3, the saddle members I'I, I8, and the thermo-responsive device 23 are constructed as heretofore described, b-ut between the spring 3| `and shell I2, there are telescoping members 32, 33. The upper one 32 has an inturned flange 34 on its upper end and the lower one 33 has an inturned ange 35 on its lower end. The flange 33 rests on the spring 3l which carries the telescoping member 32 upwardly, as shown in Fig. 8, when the thermo-responsive device 23 has been released.

The provision of the members 32 and 33 is especially valuable when the invention, is mounted on a support Il! which does not serve as a housing for all the parts, as docs` the handle la in Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive. In Figs. 7 toI 9, inclusive, thi housing I@ is broken away, and it may be eliminated entirely. The saddle Il-IS may be se cured to any suitable support, in such position that the projectile shell I2 will face the container to be broken or entered or the object to be actuated. i

In Fig. 10 I have shown a modied formof the head end of a projectile in which the parts I3, I5 and 25 have been eliminated. In their place I use an internally screw threaded pin 36 which has a head 3l countersunk in the shell I2, and an externally screw threaded pin 38 whose head 39 is countersunk in the shell wall opposite the head 37 and whose body is screwed into the pin 36. The thermo-responsive member 23 is not shown in this View. For assemblingl the device, I use any suitable tool for holding the spring compressed within the shell, beneath the intended place to be occupied bythe pins 3Ii-38, and then insert the thermo-responsive member 23 in the saddle II. Then the pins 36-38 are inserted through the shell walls and loop 21 of member 23. Thus the pins 36-38 serve as a projectile head, as means for connecting the thermo-responsive member to the shell and for retaining the spring in compressed` condition until the thermo-responsive member is released.

Changes may be made in details of construction without departing from the scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. An automatically operable projectile comprising a slotted support, a hollow projectable shell, a compressed coiled spring within the shell, a head fixed in the shell confining the spring in the shell between the head and the support while the shell is held on the support, a link extending through the slotted support into the shell, means connecting one end of said link to the shell, and thermo-responsive means on the other end of the link normally preventing the link from passing through the slotted support into the shell, said link consisting of a narrow flat metal strip formed into a pair of parallel members connected by a loop at one end and having spread apart arms at the other end, all of said thermoresponsive means being located and confined between said arms flush with the edges thereof.

2. An automatically operable projectile comprising an open ended tubular housing, a slotted support iixedly mounted in the housing transversely of the housing and inwardly of one end, a hollow projectable shell within the housing on said support, a compressed coiled spring within the shell, a head fixed in the shell conning the spring in the shell between the head and the support while the shell is on the support, a link extending through the slotted support into the shell, means connecting one end of said link to the shell, and thermo-responsive means on the other end of the link normally preventing the link from passing through the slotted support into the shell, said thermo-responsive means being located in the tubular housing between the support and an open end of the housing, said link consisting of a narrow flat metal strip formed into a pair of parallel members connected by a loop at one end and having spread apart arms at the other end, all of said thermo-responsive means being located and conned between said arms flush with the edges thereof.

3. An automatically operable projectile comprising a slotted support, a hollow projectable shell, a compressed coiled spring within the shell, a head xed in the shell confining the spring in the shell between the head andthe support while the shell is held on the support, a link extending'through the slotted support into the shell, means connecting one end of said link to the shell, thermo-responsive means on the other end of the link normally preventing the link from passing through the slotted support into the shell, a pair of telescoping members surrounding the spring, each having an .inturned flange engaging an end of the spring, said mem-1 bers moving telescopically between the shell head and the support when the link is released and the spring expands.

4. An automatically operable projectile comprising an open ended tubular housing, a slotted support xedly mounted in the housing transversely of the housing and inwardly of one end, a

hollow projectable shell within the housing on said support, a compressed coiled spring Within the shell, a head fixed in the shell `confining the spring in the shell between the head and the support while the shell is on the support, a link extending through the slotted support into the shell, means connecting one end of said link to the shell, thermo-responsive means on the other end of the link normally preventing the link from passing through the slotted support into the shell, said thermo-responsive means being located in the tubular housing between the support and an open end of the housing, a pair of telescoping members surrounding the spring, each having an inturned ange engaging an end of the spring, said members moving atelescopiicailly between the shell head and the support when the link is released and the spring expands.

5. An automatically operable projectile comprising an open ended tubular housing, a slotted support Xedly mounted in the housing transing thev spring compressed between said connect-v 1 ing means and the slotted support, and thermoversely` of the housing and inwardly of one end, a hollow projectable shell within the housing on said support, a compressed coiled spring within the shell, a head xed in the shell conning the spring in the shell between the head and the support while the shell is on the support, a link extending through the slotted support into the shell,

means connecting one end of said link to the shell, and thermwresponsive means on the other end of the link normally preventing the link from passing through the slotted support into the shell, said thermo-responsive means beinglocated in the tubular housing betweenthe support andan open end of the housing, said slotted support consisting oi a table member having a centrally located slot communicating with a recess in one side of the table, and leg members at right angles to and at opposite sides of the table member connected to said tubular housing.

6. An automatically operable projectile oomprising a support, a hollow projectable shell loose on the support, a compressed coiled spring withinY the shell, a link extending through the support into the shell, means extending through one end of the link and shell walls outwardly of the compressed spring, said means comprising an internally screw threaded pin countersunk in one side of the shell and an externally threaded pin countersunk in the other side of the shell and screwed into said first mentioned pin, and thermo-,responsive means'on the other end of the link normally preventing the link from passing through the support into the shell.

7. rAn automatically operable projectile comprising a slotted support, a tubular projectile shell having an air passage extending longitudif nally therethrough in communication with the slotted support, a coiled spring within the shell substantially surrounded by the shell, a link extending through the slotted support into the shell, means connecting the link to theshell and holdresponsive means on the free end of the link norlmally preventing the link from passing through theslotted support into the shell, release of the thermo-responsive means allowing the spring to expand and causing the shell, the link and the connecting means to be moved forcibly. away from the slotted support `8. An automatically operable projectile comprising a slotted support, a tubularprojectile shell having an air passage extending longitudinally therethrough in communication with the slotted support, a coiled spring Within the shell substantially surrounded by the shell, a link extending through the slotted support into the shell, means connecting the link to the shell and holding the spring compressed' between said connecting means and the slotted support, thermo-responsive means on the free end of the link normally `preventing the link from passing through 4 the slotted support into the shell, release fof the prising a tubular shell larranged for longitudinal movement, aslottedsupport, the shell having an air passage therethrough in communication with said slotted support, a U-shaped link extending through said slotted support, a transverse mem- 'ber connectingthelink to the shell, a spring surrounding the link and interposed withinl rthe shell between the transverse member. and the slotted support, and fusible material secured to the free ends of the link releasably retaining the spring in compressed position.

WILLIAM LOUIS ROESSNER. y 

